My review is for SOCIOL 180C - Special Topics in Sociology: Urban America. All I have to say is: TAKE THIS CLASS!! It was an incredibly easy A and so stress-free!

First off, while the class is listed as 1 hour and 50 mins, Prof. Hunter always lets us out after an hour. Additionally, we only had 8 in-person lectures throughout the whole quarter. While he says attendance is mandatory, he didn't track it through iClicker or a sign-up sheet, and he records lectures, so you could technically skip. However, since there are so few lectures, I went to all of them anyway. Plus, he's an engaging lecturer, so I'd recommend going!

As for the workload, it is extremely low and easy. There is no midterm and final. The only assignments we had in total were 5 "brain lotions" and 2 city journals.

Brain lotions are just short writing assignments where the prompt is given in class. Most of the prompts asked us to write our reaction to a song/artwork/video and a haiku, so it was easy.

For city journals, we had to explore specific places around LA and reflect on our experiences and how it relates to course themes. Recommended word count for these journals was 500-800, and you do need proof that you went there (selfies, photos, ticket stubs, etc). However, if you cannot attend the places for whatever reason, Prof. Hunter is incredibly accommodating and will work out an alternative for you. Overall though, super easy and simple. I honestly had a fun time doing the journals!

Grading is very lenient as the average was always an A. I ended the class with an A+. I highly recommend taking this class, really glad I did! It's so easy and a great upper-div.

Took this Urban America class over Winter Quarter. Professor Hunter is amazing! He uses clips and songs to help us understanding the concepts we're learning and the reading more clearly. There is a take-home midterm and a take-home final, both essays based on the themes in the readings and our discussions in class based on those themes. Pay attention in class, especially his explanation of the quotes that are in the readings and you'll do well on the essays.

Professor Marcus Hunter is great! Special Topics 180A is Urban America and this is one of my favorite classes that I've taken at UCLA.

Professor Hunter is extremely engaging. His lectures are interesting, insightful, and fun. He encourages participation during lectures and sets up group discussions during every lecture where we get to discuss the current topics we are learning about with one another. I really enjoyed this class because it was very interesting and it gave me a better understanding as to why Urban American is the way it is today. Professor Hunter really breaks down and explains the different systemic forces that create the society we live in now and how they affect America today.

This is a must take class if it is offered! Professor Hunter is probably one of my favorite professors. He lectures with great clarity and passion. He plays jazz, motown, and hip hop music and brings it back to course topics. I really like how he relates the things we learn in class to things that are happening in America today.

No tests. Just two papers, and five discussion summaries! Very do-able! :)